Following a meeting of the F1 Commission in London, plans by F1 owner Liberty Media to increase the number of sprint events met little resistance from teams.
But, when the matter came down to getting the majority support it needed, the unanimous backing from the competitors and FOM was not enough to push the matter through as the FIA did not support the plan in its current guise.
For the sprint expansion to get put in to regulations for 2023, it needed what is known as a ‘super majority’ of 26 votes from the 30 on offer between the teams (10), the FIA (10) and FOM (10).
With only the teams and F1 in agreement, the FIA’s resistance meant the proposal failed for now.
Sources have indicated that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who chaired the meeting, told participants that he was only willing to go ahead with having more sprints if a financial contribution was made to the governing body.
While his stance prompted some anger within the room – with one source suggesting it was motivated by ‘greed’ – the FIA did later agree that it would investigate exactly what impact the extra sprints have on its personnel before reconsidering the matter.
In a statement issued by the FIA after the meeting, the governing body said: “With the first of three sprint events of the 2022 season popular with fans and stakeholders last weekend at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Formula 1 and the teams were supportive of an extension to six sprint events for the 2023 season, running with the same format as in 2022.
“While supporting the principle of an increased number of sprint events, the FIA is still evaluating the impact of this proposal on its trackside operations and personnel, and will provide its feedback to the Commission.”
Talks also took place about the latest on the 2026 engine rules, but one of the initial issues that emerged is about ensuring that a proposed reduction in power does not make F1 cars too slow.
The current turbo hybrids are among…
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